Emiliano Zapata

Joshua Quiroz

     In 1910, Mexico began its revolution to overthrow the President/Dictator Porfirio Diaz who had been president for seven consecutive terms. The people of Mexico were lead by Francisco Ignacio Madero along with military generals Francisco (Pancho) Villa, and Emiliano Zapata. This civil war would last a decade due to constant power shifts even after Diaz was overthrown. This civil war would cause up to 2 million deaths both civilian and military. Although it was a tough campaign, Mexico would adopt the Mexican constitution in 1917 and a new era would begin for Mexico and its people. This revolution would probably never happen if it weren’t for the individuals who lead the people to overthrow their absolutism President Porfirio Diaz. One of the main leaders of the revolution was Emiliano Zapata. Known for being the leader of the southern liberation army, he helped his allies to overthrow and gain power of the nation throughout the revolution, all under one condition. The condition being that lands they conquered were given to the people who worked them for years. This condition would haunt Zapata as successive leaders turned their backs on him rather than respect his demands and agreements to which he had given his support in exchange for. This makes it hard to notice if Zapata actually achieved anything if the political injustice and powershifts never looked at reforms.

    Zapata joined the revolution siding with Francisco I. Madero seeing as how Madero was a way to promote reforms in the country. Although Zapata was cautious and still in doubt of Madero, he would no longer worry when Madero promised him to make reforms when he got into power. What got Zapata interested in siding with Madero was the 3rd point in Madero’s Plan de San Luis (Plan of San Luis) which stated, “The Constitution be respected, enclosing the principle of no re-election, which becomes the supreme law, valid for the election of president, vice presidents and governors until constitutional reforms are analyzed” (“se respetará la Constitución, adjuntando el principio de No Reelección, que se convierte en la ley suprema, valedera para las elecciones de presidente, vicepresidentes y gobernadores, hasta que se analicen las reformas constitucionales”) (Francisco Ignacio Madero). The point gave Zapata the idea of promoting reforms in the country, therefore agreeing to unite with Madero to overthrow military dictator Porfirio Diaz. On May 21st, 1911 Diaz signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juarez, stating that Diaz would step down and giving the power to Madero, and on May 31st, 1911 he was forced into exile and left for Spain where four years later would die in France. With Diaz overthrown Madero, leader of the people of Mexico was put into power as the intern president of the nation. As much as he promised for reforms, it was soon realized that he was very inexperienced and cunning, which lead to lose support. What the tip of the iceberg was when he promised to put social reforms in the nation and instead focused more on his personal agenda and appointed people of his interest for vice president, and governors. This caused Zapata to break ties with his alliance and in November 11th, 1911 Zapata gave his Plan de Ayala (Plan of Ayala) which stated, “Signed on November 11, 1911, the plan was justified on violations made by Francisco I. Madero's motto Effective Suffrage and No Re-election as imposed against the people's will to Mr. José María Pino Suárez as vice president and in the states, governors thereof, not withstanding the right of each jurisdiction to choose rulers” (“Firmado el 11 de noviembre de 1911, el plan se justificó en las violaciones hechas por Francisco I. Madero al lema Sufragio Efectivo y No Reelección, ya que puso en contra la voluntad del pueblo al señor José María Pino Suárez como vicepresidente y, en los estados, a los gobernadores de los mismos, no obstante la facultad de cada jurisdicción para elegir gobernantes”)(Emiliano Zapata). This plan was meant to show the disagreement the people had of Madero’s decisions when he was in power, and was an official declaration of war against Madero. It would also lead to a coup attempt to overthrow Madero from power with Pascual Orozco leading the coup and Zapata supporting his decision.

    Madero’s place in power was short lived when in February of 1913 General Victoriano Huerta ordered from Orozco, staged a coup d'etat which overthrew Madero and his politicians, eventually executing both Madero and Suarez while they tried to leave town. Speculation shows the soldier that killed both acted on Huerta’s own orders which lead the people to refer Madero as a revolutionary martyr instead of the president that didn’t listen to the people. Zapata noticed that Gen. Huerta was seeing no interest in reforms that Zapata was promoting. He sent a letter to Colonel Facundo Torres of the situation saying, “The government of Francisco I. Madero and José María Pino Suárez had been terminated, and Victoriano Huerta became interim president with a cabinet that was not conducive to the revolution in the South. You are recommended to refrain from receiving instructions from other foreign armies to the Revolution and comply with the provisions for its headquarters” (“el gobierno de Francisco I. Madero y José María Pino Suárez había terminado, y Victoriano Huerta quedó como presidente interino con un gabinete que no favorecía al la revolución del Sur. Te recomendó abstenerse de recibir instrucciones de otro ejércitos extraños a la Revolución y atenerse a lo dispuesto por su cuartel general”) (Emiliano Zapata). Zapata was already on the lookout of the new interim president seeing as how the newly appointed president didn't see any interest in changing or adding reforms in which Zapata agreed to join the revolution in the first place, it was only a matter of time until another power shift would emerge taking out General Victoriano Huerta and his group of politicians.

    Victoriano also shared a short lived spot in the “king’s chair” when a man by the name of Venustiano Carranza declared his Plan de Guadalupe (Plan of Guadalupe) on March 26th, 1913. The plan shows Carranza’s thoughts on the situation of Huerta being in power. The plan states, “In consideration that General Victoriano Huerta committed the crime of Treason to apprehend the President Madero and Vice President Pino Suarez, and his ministers, plus it came to the executive branch with the complacency of the legislative and judicial powers, a large group of chiefs and officers led by Jacinto B. Trevino and Lucio Blanco, issued a manifesto to the nation based on the following points …” (“Trás considerar que el general Victoriano Huerta cometió el delito de traición al aprehender al presidente Madero, y el vicepresidente Pino Suárez, así como sus ministros, además de que llegó al poder Ejecutivo con la complacencia de los poderes Legislativo y Judicial, un grupo numeroso de jefes y oficiales encabezado por Jacinto B. Treviño y Lucio Blanco, emitió un manifiesto a la nación basados a los siguientes puntos…”) (Venustiano Carranza). This declaration was a manifesto saying that Victoriano Huerta should have been removed from power for not answering to the people and instead doing things to his own accord, With it Carranza called everyone to bear arms and fight Huerta for what he had done. The supporters responded,  Zapata and other revolutionary leaders were among the supporters of Carranza. Huerta eventually stepped down and fled to Spain. Carranza would become the interim president of the nation forming a new power in place and by 1917 Mexico would adopt a Congressionally approved constitution for the nation and it all seemed that the revolution was coming to a close. Unfortunately it was time to close loose ends.

    In 1914 Zapata broke alliance with Carranza for not pushing reforms in his Plan de Guadalupe, but by 1916 Carranza was already in power and was gaining support from the peasants from promising the people a new constitution making Zapata lose support pushing his forces down south. Zapata began to be low on supplies and later that year Carranza sent out military personnel to kill Zapata. Zapata would eventually be killed in 1919 in Chinameca where he was supposed to receive supplies never seeing reforms being passed on his country and land that he fought and stood for. That same year a revolution would come into place against Carranza. For not respecting the people’s voice he too had become like many others before him, promising the people and never holding their word. Alvaro Obregon would issue a manifesto called the Plan de Agua Prieta a military leader would join after reading the manifesto stating, “This plan was written by General Álvaro Obregón , who spoke out against the president Venustiano Carranza and all authorities sympathetic to the president. The plan says it will not affect the Constitution of 1917 , before good , would respect the supreme law” (“este plan fue escrito por el general Álvaro Obregón, quien se manifestó en contra del preisdente Venustiano Carranza y de todas las autoridades que simpatizaran con el mandatario. El plan anuncía que no afectaría a la constitucíon politíca de 1917, antes buen, le respetaría como ley suprema”) (Alvaro Obregon). It meant that Carranza should step down along with his officials for not listening to the people. This would later lead to more fighting and on May 21st, 1920 Carranza was killed by Obregon’s agents and a new era would come into place.

    In 1917 Mexico adopted a constitution, it was the official end of the revolution, but with constant fighting peace didn’t come until 1920. Taking a decade to finish, Obregon would bring new reforms and the nation would show it’s new face to the world. Despite the realization of reforms that were brought by Obregon, Zapata wouldn’t live to see the reforms he pushed come to life after the many power shifts of Revolution. Instead of seeing reforms and change in the nation, Zapata saw broken promises, and cunning politicians backstabbing one another to gain power. He was assassinated by the same politician he helped gain power in 1919. The debate over whether Zapata really liberated the people of Mexico from injustice continues today, but  the reforms he wanted were eventually passed and put in effect.

Bibliography:

Madero, Ignacio Francisco. “Plan de San Luis”. Version 1. General Archive of the Nation:

Mexico, October 5, 1910. web. February 11, 2015. Francisco Ignacio Madero was a politician who ran against Porfirio Diaz for the presidency and was robbed from his win when Diaz had him jailed. Madero was liberated by peasants later on, but by then Diaz was already re-elected. So Madero created a manifesto to the nation to come to arms and unite to overthrow the dictator they had as president, he called this the Plan de San Luis.

Zapata, Emiliano. “Plan de Ayala”. Version 1. General Archive of the Nation: Mexico,

November 11, 1911. web. February 11, 2015. Emiliano Zapata was a campesino who

joined the revolution in an effort to promote reforms throughout the nation and country, but specifically for the state of Morelos. After joining Francisco Madero to overthrow the dictator during the time, he hoped that Madero would do changes in reforms like he promised, instead he turned his back on Zapata. This lead Zapata to make his Plan de Ayala which states that Madero had violated his promises in his manifesto and should be held responsible.

Zapata, Emiliano. “Letter to Colonel Facundo Torres”. Version 1. General Archive of the Nation:

Mexico, February 23, 1913. web. February 11, 2015. Zapata sent this letter to a colonel

during the revolution to notify him about the power change that occurred in that time

frame, It mainly notified him that the new president that took power wasn’t in the best

interest for the revolution cause down in the south and recommended the colonel to take

no orders from foreign armies, only from headquarters.

Carranza, Venustiano. “Plan de Guadalupe”. Version1. General Archive of the Nation: Mexico,

March 26, 1913. web. February 12, 2015. Venustiano Carranza was a military general

during the revolution who would become the president of Mexico for a couple months.

He issued this plan or manifesto, to denounce Victoriano Huerta who was president

during the time for failing to apprehend Madero and other politicians, and instead took

power for himself. This manifesto was a calling for everyone to unite and fight against

Huerta for he violated orders to apprehend the president before and instead he killed

them.

Obregon, Alvaro. “Plan de Agua Prieta”. Version 1. General Archive of the Nation: Mexico,

April 23, 1920. web. February 12, 2015. Alvaro Obregon was a military leader during the

revolution who would later became the first president to actually bring change to the

nation. Although the revolution ended in 1917 with a new constitution, fighting didn’t

stop until 1920, where this manifesto was issued to declare that whatever Carranza was

doing with the nation was wrong and that he should be removed from power, with the

benefit that the constitution wouldn’t be changed, rather respected in all supreme law.

With this document Alvaro would become president and begin to make changes.